Trillium City Water Inlet Woes

[David Swinnard]

Hi Ho Folks.

We had two HOT sunny days in a row - on a long weekend! So I finished wash/stomping the foams and the big ones I washed yesterday are essentially dry this evening. A couple of more days indoors and we'll put the covers back on. My wife spent part of the day scrubbing the interior parts that I'd not gotten to when we had a sunny day two weeks ago. I spent the day attempting to replace two outside covered access ports - one for the AC power cord and the other for the city water inlet. That's where my troubles started.

Rant ON

The previous owner had described and shown me these two troublesome ports and said he had ordered the parts and would send them to me. (He actually had them shipped to me from the supplier - a nice fellow.) Getting the old ones out proved interesting, but doable. The electrical port will need to be pop-riveted back in because I could not easily arrange access to the inside to stick nuts on the SS screws I picked up to replace the original rivets. OK, I can do that - I hope...

The core issue and main topic of this post is the city water inlet. The price tag on this plastic item, in white rather than the original "cream?" colour, was $25 plus change. Before I actually installed it, I thought I should check the back side for leaks once I'd attached the new 90 degree barb fitting and (new) plastic hose to the faucet. OK, I attached the (new) pressure regulator to the outside of the inlet and to my basement sink and turned the water on. The barb adapter did not leak (Teflon tape and hope), but the outside part where the pressure regulator was attached spewed water all over. I checked it was seated properly (and the gasket was in place) - it was.

Upon disassembly, I discovered that the whole threaded neck was entirely separated from the plastic housing. Inspection showed that this whole assembly (threaded bit and backflow preventer, etc) was connected by a miniscule (about a millimeter or so) ring of plastic material. No wonder the thing failed. Any torque on it at all would shear it - and did. I was not heavy handed with it at all, no tools of any kind and my old sore hands don't have enough torque left in them to open a twist-off beverage bottle.

I was appalled that such an item could be engineered so poorly. (certain words were said)

Has anybody else experienced this "twist off" of the city water inlet connector or did I just get a defective unit?

I spent a while this evening looking to see if such a covered inlet is available with a brass connection system, but I've not found anything. Does such a beast exist?

I can't believe that this new item, which seems exactly the same as the one I just removed from my 1976 Trillium, could be this flimsy and poorly designed and still in production after all these years (new manufs. name, but same design) - or that RV type folks would stand for it.

Rant OFF.

Dave (frustrated, but really happy to see the sun!)

[Chester Taje]

I have always had trouble with what you are discribing. For the last 20 years i only use tank water and pump. I never regreted it. I now have a brand new unit and just use pump. My old habit is staying with me.

[Frederick L. Simson]

I spent a while this evening looking to see if such a covered inlet is available [b]with a brass connection system, but I've not found anything. Does such a beast exist?

I can't believe that this new item, which seems exactly the same as the one I just removed from my 1976 Trillium, [b]could be this flimsy and poorly designed and still in production after all these years (new manufs. name, but same design) - or that RV type folks would stand for it.

Are you referring to City water Entry; part #24828?

These are not very common, but still available... but in plastic only, AFAIK
It's the only design that has that hinged cover.

[David Swinnard]

Are you referring to City water Entry; part #24828?

These are not very common, but still available... but in plastic only, AFAIK
It's the only design that has that hinged cover.

Frederick, that's the one. It's a shame that in all these years nobody has seen fit to design this thing properly. A thin ring of plastic (literally, just a millimeter, definitely less than two) won't take the stresses this piece is normally subjected to. But on the other hand, if they are not in common usage today... no wonder.

Sounds like maybe I'll be joining Chester and using the pump... still have to see if it works, previous owner said yes. The tank/pump system is next on my list of things to check before we take to the open road.

[Daniel V.]

I'm having trouble visualizing the problem. A thousand words is worth a picture.

I just finished reinstalling my city water inlet (original plastic one) with a new check valve on the inside, and didn't encounter any problem that a bit a teflon tape or pipe dope wouldn't fix. Do you get a leak without the pressure regulator? I use a garden hose washer on the outside connector without any leaks. Use two if necessary.

[David Swinnard]

Daniel, here are some images...

How it's supposed to look, how it currently looks (busted), and the rear view showing the now dislocated hose junction and the rear threaded portion.

Note: When I had the threaded/barbed fitting inserted into the back threads (w/teflon tape) it DID NOT leak. All the leaking was from the "front" where the hose fitting (the busted loose piece) originally was attached.

New thought... was this a faulty item. Was the hose attachment/one-way piece (shown separted in images 2 & 3) actually supposed to be "glued in" along the it's length and not just around the, very small contact area, rim? Hmmm...

[Daniel V.]

Holy pictures, Batman! Now that is a detailed view.

Mine looks similar to yours and is 34 years old and still in operation, but the design seems slightly different. The check-valve on mine is separate. I've already reinstalled mine so I can't really look at it from all those angles, but I do know the flower-shaped outer plastic collar on the hose attachment is supposed to be able spin freely in order to help tighten the hose (counter-clockwise) so it butts against the inner washer. So perhaps that's where something is glued together and shouldn't. The inner part of that connector does not move, so at first glance I don't see any reason why it couldn't be glued-in a bit better if it doesn't affect the check-valve.

[Greg A]

The one in the Scamp is metal, and I don't think I'd want plastic fittings on that even if it worked. Wonder if you could order and adapt one of the Scamp ones or carefully drill that center out and go to the plumbing area and rig a threaded metal fitting with nut and washer-maybe some JB Weld on each side to hold it in the mounting and then your hoses would screw on the threaded fitting.

[brendadave]

Daniel, here are some images...

My Original one was like that, broke it trying to tighten it, just like you. I found a new one at the local RV shop, in white, it was brass all the way through. Only problem I have now (still need to look at it) is that is leaks at the outer connection, probably a bad washer.

[David Swinnard]

Guess what I found today?

And the sun came out again too.

[Booker B.]

Hi David,

Where did you find the part? Mine is working fine but the cover is broken off so I should replace it at some point.

Cheers
Booker

[David Swinnard]

Hi David,

Where did you find the part? Mine is working fine but the cover is broken off so I should replace it at some point.

Cheers
Booker

Booker, I picked it up locally at Go West RV, just down the road from the Casino here in Coquitlam. Their site: http://www.go-west.com/

This is the one I bought: 664-1 City Water entry, Colonial White, $18.54
(Note, it's NOT the one in their on-line catalogue, I found it in a print catalog they have. Paid $3, for mine - I like printed catalogues and this one is almost 500 pages of cool stuff.)

[brendadave]

Guess what I found today?

That is the exact one I installed last summer...I am curious to know if it leaks like mine.

[David Swinnard]

That is the exact one I installed last summer...I am curious to know if it leaks like mine.

Owwww... that's not what I wanted to hear. Hopefully it's just the washer.

I will "install" all the bits and pieces together and test it in the basement before I do the final install in the trailer. That's how I found the leak in the original piece in the first place.

[Greg A]

Dang, that's exactly what I described above that I'd try to build and some dude already beat me to it and is selling em at RV shops....

Hope it works out for ya David.

[David Swinnard]

That is the exact one I installed last summer...I am curious to know if it leaks like mine.

Yup, with a little water in it, it leaks. With an attempt to tighten, it snapped apart. Made a mess in the basement where I had "test assembled" it. (even had the pressure regulator upstream of this thing so it was not "over pressured". I'm going back to the RV parts folks to see if they'll replace it.

I guess, I'll use the city water with the supply tap turned way down and accept that the connection will drip a bit (at least it's an outside drip and I can catch it in a bucket or something).

Greg, maybe you can build something better than can be bought pre-assembled. I will try, if the next one does the same thing. How hard can it be? <---hopefully not "famous last words"

Dave

[Daniel V.]

If I was to build something I'd try making one with one of those quick connect fittings ("Gardena" type, but metal).

[David Swinnard]

…an update:

Upon disassembly of the brass components to remove them from the plastic housing, I think I discovered the source of the small external leak…to little teflon tape sealing. With my recent fussing with the various joints required to plumb this into the trailer, I discovered that it takes a fair bit (4 to 6 turns) of the tape to provide a watertight seal on these brass 1/2" FIP joints.

This makes me suspect the leak various folks other have reported seeing is likely not caused by insufficient tightening of the hose end, or a bad washer there (though a missing washer would certainly cause a leak), but by a leaking brass-brass MIP-FIP connection.

See the picture – this little tape on the joints I was "pre-assembling" to test definitely leaked.

I am still working in my final solution (I like the idea of a quick coupler...). I will post again when I've got something.

Dave

[james kent]

Here's the city water and grey water on our Boler. They are both metal flanged and I just replaced the screw covers so I would imagine the fitting is still available somewheres.

[David Swinnard]

Attachment 13429

Here's the city water and grey water on our Boler. They are both metal flanged and I just replaced the screw covers so I would imagine the fitting is still available somewheres.

This is likely the option I will turn to if I can't sort out the "with cover" version that the Trillium has.

rant mode---> What's really got me @#$$^% off is the fact that manufacturers are selling us these options which are so obviously under-engineered or shoddily made. I pay good money and get essentially nonfunctional items - I don't want my money back, I want a product that will do what it's supposed to, and continue to do so for a reasonable period of time. <---rant off